I interviewed Dr. Andrea Slominski, who is an author, speaker, and coach. She helps women 45-plus navigate the rough seas of menopause and midlife. Andrea has her MA and Ph.D. in mythological studies and depth psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute and is a five-time Joseph Campbell Mythology Studies Scholarship Award winner.
Watch our Video Interview on YouTube
Click on the player below.
In the interview, we discussed how she uses mythology to help her clients deal with the changes they experience in menopause.
She went back to school when she was in her fifties and studied the transition and psychological shift of women as they aged which included menopause, perimenopause, and postmenopause. She also looked at it from a mythological perspective, using fairytale myth, and folktale personal narrative to help women navigate those changes, which can be difficult.
Andrea identified a triple transformation that women go through that encompasses the physical, psychological, and spiritual realms.
How women have evolved
Since 1900, women’s lifespans have expanded by one-third for white women and have doubled for women of color. Before 1900, white women, statistically, were dead by 51 and women of color were dead by 43. Women’s lives have expanded to an entirely new life stage that Andrea calls regency which happens between the ages of 45 to 70 plus. We’re the first generation of women boomers, late boomers, and all the women coming up behind us to live past menopause as a group in the history of humanity.
Menopause has been recognized for thousands of years. There have always been old women who lived to a ripe old age in their family, or who were perhaps perceived as a witch who lived at the edge of the medieval village. They may have lived to their eighties, nineties, and beyond but most women during their time period did not.
People like Oprah are now talking about menopause and the perimenopause shift. A lot of other celebrities are talking about aging into authenticity. Helen Mirren and Jane Fonda are good examples. Celebrities and people in the public eye often have a huge income and lots of options that most of us don’t have in terms of upkeep which includes diet and exercise, skincare, and plastic surgery.
For thousands of years, the stages of women’s growth have been divided into maiden–mother – and crone. However, because we have evolved, Andrea feels we need to update those categories.
The new life stages that have emerged for women
Andrea has identified four stages of women’s growth that include maiden, householder, Regency, and wise woman.
Householder is more inclusive than mother because there are many women who have chosen not to have children, live alternative lifestyles, or take care of children and aging parents.
The opportunity within Regency for Women is huge, because when women hit menopause or go through menopause at around fifty years old, they may have reached a glass ceiling in their careers. Or, they reached a point where they’re at the end of one career and are thinking that they are not ready to retire. Mothers may have raised children and have an empty nest or have boomerang children that have left and come back. There’s so much opportunity for women coming out of their householder years after spending 20 or 30 years tending everybody else’s garden.
They may be thinking, “Hey, it’s my turn right now. I’ve come to this point in my life where I can focus on myself, where I can take this new life stage regency to reclaim my life and reclaim my sovereignty. I can discover who I am now, what’s important to me now, and find meaning in my life. What do I want my purpose to be in my later years? Where do I belong?”
We live in a patriarchal culture that denigrates and does not value aging women. But there are two sides to that coin. We are living in an incredibly dynamic time for women’s life stages. Advances now allow us to enjoy quality longevity. There are breakthroughs in psychology, and physiology that make it easier for women to manage their perimenopause and menopausal symptoms.
7 Realms of Change
The changes that women go through later in life and that Andrea works on with her clients include their changing bodies — self-image — feelings — needs — roles — priorities — goals.
About Dr. Andrea Slominski
She sees herself as someone who can help women who have hit a bump in the road.
Andrea offers virtual one on one as well as group coaching. You can find out more on her website drandreaslominsky.com If you are in the Los Angeles area, she also offers in-person coaching at her home in Santa Clarita.
Andrea goes into depth on her theories about menopause and mythology in our interview so I highly recommend that you watch our video interview as they are fascinating.
I had such an easy menopause and frankly, never gave it another thought after!
I had an easy one too, thankfully aside from some belly fat.
I did too, never suffered hot flashes, I got cold flashes instead. And that was the extent of menopause for me. I sometimes forget there was even a thing called menopause until I hear people talking about it.
That’s great to hear, Jennifer. Some of us have been lucky.
Menopause started for me in my 40th year and is still going strong almost 28 years later. Still flashing multiple times a day. Didn’t have the mood swings which was a blessing.
I’ve tried various remedies, but reacted so violently the doctors have decided I’m just better off without.
It’s okay. I’ve got this!
Wo! That’s a long time, Diane. Glad you have a positive attitude about it.